Wednesday, June 1, 2016

No Idle or Unmeaning Ceremony

The lessons of Freemasonry are numerous, and each one is as significant as the next in the construction of a brother’s temporal building. The candidate, having been divested of all his personal possessions prior to his entrance into the lodge, is both literally and figuratively stripped of his worldly wealth; a great equalizer and his initial lesson in humility. The Junior Warden articulates the practical application of this divestiture, explaining that the new member may then carry nothing offensive or defensive into the lodge, and that the original workman used only wooden tools in the Temple’s construction. He further explains that the personal garments he arrived in, whether tattered or tailored, were insignificant to our impression of him as a candidate and potential brother. However, the deeper and more significant meaning behind this divestiture is made clearer in a later section of the degree. The ‘right of destitution” in the first degree is a tremendously important experience for the candidate’s moral education. It is not by happenstance that this ceremony is performed individually. Isolation is a key component to the impression we are trying to instill upon the brother.
Charity or relief is taught as one of the tenets of our profession. The right of destitution is an abject lesson in humility, and by extension Charity. Only by being stripped of all possessions; only by finding oneself “entirely destitute” can a brother truly experience the empathy necessary to internalize the lesson. This lesson in empathy is intended to illicit inclination; should the candidate ever come upon a friend or worthy brother in similar circumstances that he would be “inclined” to contribute as liberally to his relief as possible. This relief is only limited up to the point of personal injury, which is to say, it should be conferred up to ones fullest extent. A rich man who gives but a minute portion of his wealth to those less fortunate can claim to be charitable, but his charity is lacking humility. Freemasonry teaches that the magnitude of charity is a moral obligation of a much larger scope, especially among our brethren.

Traditionally charity is thought to be primarily monetary, or perhaps in the form of goods and services. However charity and relief can also be demonstrated through personal investment. Our cable-tow brothers make a significant personal investment of time and energy into the guidance of our candidates; truly a humble act of charity. They give the candidates that which they lacked prior to their initiation, metaphorically filling their empty cups. This investment then pays dividends in both directions. The candidate is made richer with moral insight and knowledge as well as with newly formed friendship; the cable-tow brother is made richer through service and spiritual growth; (again, my heartfelt thanks to those cable-tow brothers who serve in this important capacity). As we all enter the fraternity through the same door, we therefore all experience the same lessons of humility, empathy and charity. The allegorical “right of destitution” is the great leveler of this important lesson.

As June signifies the close of this tremendously productive Masonic year for our lodge, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the outstanding work of ALL our officers. BY the end of the month, together we will have raised 11 or possibly 12 candidates!! Your efforts are a direct investment in the future success of our lodge. Many of these new brothers have already jumped into service to our lodge and are enthusiastic and active members! This is a testament to all of your work in creating a fun and dynamic atmosphere for all of us to prosper within. I am confident that Worhipful Ives will continue to build and reinforce the foundation of our lodge in his own significant way! If our members give him the same or more effort that I enjoyed as Master, the future is truly bright with promise.

The June 7th regular communication will feature the election of officers for next year. Please make every effort to attend and cast you vote in support of our elected officers. Quickly following on Saturday June 11th we are hosting our spring “Open House” event with the first biennial “Isaiah Thomas Day” which will feature our widows luncheon, veterans recognition and memorial tribute to our beloved departed brethren. The Mayor of Worcester, the Honorable Joseph M. Petty will join us and make an official proclamation of “Isaiah Thomas Day” in honor of our celebration. We are still awaiting word from the Grand Master on his availability. All non-officer members please contact me prior to May 30th with the number of family and friends that are planning to attend.

On Tuesday June 21st we hold our final degree of the year, conferring the 3rd degree on our current group of eligible candidates. We will be joined by a contingent from the Massachusetts Consistory who will perform the “long-form” section of the degree on our last candidate. The night will include a catered dinner between the first and second sections. Again, non-officer members please RSVP with RW Burnett or me prior to June 14th that we may get an fairly accurate count. Wednesday June 22nd will feature or 7th annual Table Lodge at The Grill on the Hill, please contact RW Burnett ASAP as seating is limited. The annual (and final) combined district LOI for this Masonic year will be held on Thursday June 23rd at Joel Prouty lodge in Auburn @ 7:00 pm. Finally, it is expected that the combined district Lodge of Qualification will be held on Tuesday June 28th location and time tbd.

Brethren all, I will save my final thoughts for the September message, but to conclude this Masonic year all I can say to each of you is “thank you, thank you thank you - from the bottom of my heart I am indebted to you all.”